monetize your mobile conference guide

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Janeé

The cover story this month on ASAE’s Associations Now magazine is all about generating revenue using mobile apps.  Great advice about what we’ve been saying all along: meetsmart mobile is a great revenue source! Here’s a link to the article and an excerpt below.

http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=152521

According to the mobile application analytics company Flurry, the 2011 holiday season might have been the tipping point that associations have been waiting for to see whether mobile apps are catching on. The company reported in January that more than 20 million iOS and Android electronic devices were activated during the week of December 25, with more than 6.8 million on Christmas day alone.

What’s more, the balance of mobile app use versus web browsing has shifted among smartphone users. Since last June, Flurry reports, the average smartphone user spends more minutes per day accessing mobile apps than surfing the web (72 daily web minutes versus 94 minutes with apps in December 2011).

Statistics like these are causing associations to take notice and examine the idea of creating mobile apps, which can range from $3,000 to $5,000 for an off-the-shelf product to $25,000 to $45,000 for a custom solution. But the looming questions remain: How can associations pay for mobile apps? And more important, how can they use them to generate nondues revenue?

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meetsmart mobile Selected for Meeting Professionals International California Chapter Events

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Janeé
San Francisco, CA [February 16, 2012] … At today’s Meeting Professionals International Northern California Chapter (MPINCC) Annual Conference & Expo, meetsmart mobile is pleased to announce the selection of the firm’s mobile conference guide for two of MPI’s largest chapter events.
MPINCC and MPI’s Southern California chapter (MPISCC) have partnered with meetsmart mobile as the official mobile conference guide of their annual meetings, attended by more than 2,000 meeting professionals.  MPINCC’s Annual Conference & Expo is being held today at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. MPISCC’s EdCon will take place March 27 at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center in Pomona, California.
Said Diane Schneiderman, CMP, MPINCC’s Executive Director, “MPINCC is thrilled to offer our attendees access to the newest mobile conference guide technology, thanks to the sponsorship of meetsmart mobile. meetsmart mobile has been incredibly easy to work with. Themeetsmart concierge team pays attention to all the tiny details, and has made setup easy for us at every stage of the process. We look forward to partnering with meetsmart mobile on many future meetings.”
“MPISCC is happy to partner with meetsmart mobile for the second year in a row for our annual education conference,” said Elizabeth Glau, CMP, MPISCC Director of Special Events.  “Last year’s attendees were very receptive to seeing a smaller printed program and using the mobile conference navigation guide instead. We are looking forward to working with them as they continue to expand their product and grow their company. Meeting planners in our industry have many options to choose from in the mobile app marketplace and meetsmart mobile is a great team to work with.”
“As longtime MPI members and meeting planners ourselves, we are honored to have been selected by the California MPI chapters,” said Janeé Pelletier, Chief Technology Evangelist ofmeetsmart.  “In recognition of the pivotal role that MPI plays in the meetings industry,meetsmart mobile will donate a portion of the proceeds from MPI-related sales to the MPI Foundation.”  The MPI Foundation funds research, thought-leadership, and education to advance the global meetings and events industry and enhance the effectiveness of meeting professionals.
MPINCC and MPISCC are chapters of the global Meeting Professionals International organization, a prominent educational association geared towards meeting planners and industry partners.
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Conference Organizers Amazed by Traffic on Mobile Conference Guide at Society of American Archivists 75th Annual Meeting

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Janeé

Annapolis, MD [September 21, 2011]… Three weeks after the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Annual Meeting, organizers report that use of the first-ever SAA mobile conference guide surpassed all expectations.  SAA deployed meetsmart mobile’s web-based conference guide to support the organization’s 75th Annual Meeting, held in Chicago, Illinois, August 22-27, 2011. The site had more than 40,000 views in the three-week period before, during, and after the meeting.

As a first-time user of a mobile conference guide, SAA had moderate expectations of a mobile conference guide. But even before the meeting began, organizers were surprised to learn that the mobile guide had drawn more than 18,000 page views.  “We were thrilled by the very high traffic and the great attendee feedback,” reported the meeting’s logistics manager, Paul Henning of Conference & Logistics Consultants (C&LC).

Using meetsmart mobile, SAA generated more than $9,000 in additional exhibit revenue.  Said Nancy Beaumont, SAA’s Executive Director, “With inclusion in meetsmart mobile as the incentive, we were able to sell seven additional exhibit booths even after our onsite program had gone to print. Now our exhibitors are getting exposure that was never possible before. And we’re capturing revenue that almost got away!”

Post-show metrics provided by meetsmart mobile reported traffic during the meeting as follows:

  • 40,286 page views by SAA’s 1,664 attendees, with an average of more than 24 views per attendee.
  • Average time per visit of 7:09 minutes, although during the peak conference period the average visit lasted nearly an hour.
  • More than 11 pages viewed per average visit.
  • 1,000 unique visitors, representing more than 60% of SAA’s attendees.
  • Visitors from 11 countries/territories, including the US. Canada, Europe, Brazil, and India.

On average, each user visited 17.3 pages and spent 9.5 minutes on the site before arriving at the meeting. “This information reinforces the demand for mobile applications, even when a group is considered late adopters,” said Henning.

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64% of Meetings Are Using a Mobile App

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Janeé

With so much new meeting technology being developed it can be hard to know what’s worth investing your time in, and what will simply be a flash in the pan.  Our clients rely on us to keep them abreast of trends and technology, so our team works hard to keep our finger on the pulse of the meetings and convention industry.

Earlier this summer, Conference & Logistics Consultants conducted a survey of over 300 meeting planners to gauge our industry’s comfort level with new technologies.  A key finding of the 2011 Meeting Technology Trends Survey was that 64 percent of meetings are already using a mobile app, or intend to add one this year.  Another 16 percent intend to add one within three years.

If you’re not thinking about a mobile app for your meeting, you’re being left behind.    Attendees are clamoring for instant access to information, and ways to personalize their conference experience.  Mobile technology is an easy way to provide both.  Mobile conference guides run the gamut from inexpensive web-based platforms ($9 – 15K) to high-end custom native apps ($25 – 100+K).

The survey also revealed a lot of other interesting information, which we will put out in a white paper later this fall.  Stay tuned to the blog or subscribe to our RSS feed for future updates.

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meetsmart mobile and Alliance Exposition Services Partner to Provide Turnkey Mobile Show Guide for Conventions

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Janeé

Annapolis, MD [June 30, 2011]… meetsmart and Alliance Exposition Services are excited to announce the first-ever industry partnership for an end-to-end, turnkey mobile show guide.  Beginning July 1, 2011, Alliance will provide the meetsmart mobile show guide as a complimentary value-added service for meeting, tradeshow, or convention customers.

Alliance Exposition Services is the only general service contractor promoting and selling sponsorships for customers.  The addition of meetsmart mobile rounds out Alliance’s already comprehensive list of services that includes General Service Contracting, Exhibit Services, and Event Services.

“It’s such a natural partnership,” said Alliance President Mark Yuska. “We know meeting planners are busy, and we’re saving them time plus creating revenue. What could be better than that?” meetsmart mobile offers dozens of revenue-generating opportunities for our customers and excellent ROI for exhibitors and sponsors.  We’re in touch with exhibitors already, so it’s a logical step to help them add exposure that enhances their show experience.”

“This partnership is a win-win-win arrangement for clients, exhibitors, and sponsors,” said meetsmart Chief Technology Evangelist Janeé Pelletier.  “With this partnership, two industry experts have joined forces to provide clients with an end-to-end solution.   Alliance does the up-front sponsorship sales, so clients don’t have to lift a finger.  They make money plus get an amazing mobile show guide designed by meeting planners.”

Customers can purchase meetsmart mobile app sponsorships, logos, listing upgrades, ads and alerts directly through the Alliance Online platform.  Alliance Online also allows exhibitors to book hotel and travel accommodations, register for the meeting, and submit show directory listings.

meetsmart mobile will be available to Alliance customers at no additional charge, as part of the Alliance service package.

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Aw, shucks. Thanks for the kind words.

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Janeé

Thanks to MPISCC for the kudos!  meetsmart mobile was proud to be the official mobile app of the MPI Southern California Chapter’s 30th Annual Conference.  meetsmart mobile received rave reviews! Read the article here:
http://engage365.org/2011/04/mpiscc-meetsmart-mobile-a-conference-navigation-app-success-story/

By offering the app at the Conference, MPISCC gave their members:

- A smart, easy-to-use first mobile experience

- A great way to put Meeting information into delegates hands quickly & easily

- New communication paths & increased professional interaction

Attendees get a powerful information tool and organizations receive the benefits of a very affordable revenue-generating tool which keeps them on the cutting edge of technology.

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Welcome!

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Janeé

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by our new blog.  We promise to fill it with neat stuff and fresh ideas, as well as the occasional bit of trivia.  Please bookmark us and come back soon.

rock on! the meetsmart team

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